The present invention relates to the laminating of documents and the like, and in particular, to the lamination of photographs.
Techniques for lamination of documents and the like in a plastic pouch, have been known for many years. Businesses, schools, churches, and families, can purchase simple, relatively inexpensive machines which rely on serially arranged rollers and heating elements, to laminate documents such as diplomas, awards, newspaper clippings and other porous items, between sheets of plastic film, which seals and thereby preserves the document within a semi-rigid, clear pouch. Although such relatively simple laminators perform satisfactorily for laminating conventional papers, these laminators do not achieve quality when attempts are made to laminate photographs.
Two significant problems have been encountered with respect to lamination of photographs in plastic film pouches. First, air pockets are trapped between the photograph and the laminating film. The pockets are visible in the finished lamination and mar the quality of the photograph. Secondly, the edges of the photograph are poorly laminated. Although the photograph is protected as a result of conventional lamination in such machines, the result is of significantly lower quality than that achievable for the lamination of other types of papers and documents.